The officials of the Ministry of Education (MoE) said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a three-day seminar at Varanasi on July 7, Thursday, which will be attended by more than 300 educationists deliberating on the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP). The Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam will provide a platform for leading Indian Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to discuss, deliberate and share insights on strategies, success stories and best practices in implementing the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, as stated in a report by PTI.
In association with the University Grants Commission and Banaras Hindu University, the Ministry of Education is organising this seminar which will bring together over 300 vice-chancellors and directors from public and private universities, educationists, policymakers, as also industry representatives to discuss how the implementation of National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, can be taken further across the country after successful implementation of several initiatives in the last two years. A senior official of MoE said, "Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will also attend the summit."
Talking about the initiatives the Ministry has excelled in implementing, the official said, "The Ministry, along with the UGC and AICTE, has brought in several policy initiatives like Academic Bank of Credit, Multiple Entry-Exit, multi-disciplinarity and flexibility in higher education, regulations aimed at boosting online and open distance learning, revising the National Curriculum Framework to make it more in sync with global standards, promoting multi-linguality and Indian Knowledge Systems and making both a part of educational curriculum, mainstreaming skill education and promoting lifelong learning."
Informing that many universities have already welcomed the reform and there are still many who are yet to "adopt and adapt to the changes", the official stated, "As the higher education ecosystem in the country spans the Centre, states and private entities, extensive consultations are required to take the policy implementation further. This process of consultation has been going on at the regional and national levels. The Varanasi Shiksha Samagam is next in the series of consultations in this regard."
Stating the topics that will there be discussions on for the three-day seminar, it was stated that the discussions will be held on themes such as Multidisciplinary and Holistic Education, Skill Development and Employability, Indian Knowledge Systems, Internationalization of Education, Digital Empowerment and Online Education, Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Quality, Ranking and Accreditation, Equitable and Inclusive Education, Capacity Building of Teachers for Quality Education.
Speaking about the objective of this seminar, the official stated, "The summit is expected to provide a platform for thought-provoking discussions that will articulate the roadmap and implementation strategies, foster knowledge exchange and build networks through interdisciplinary deliberations and discuss challenges being faced by educational institutions and articulate solutions.”
The adoption of the Varanasi Declaration on Higher Education, which will showcase India's extended vision and a renewed commitment to help achieve the goals of the higher education system, is considered to be the main highlight of the Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam.
